ComArtSci returns to China

Savannah Swix is a senior studying journalism at MSU's College of Communication Arts and Sciences. She and students from ComArtSci are currently in China for the One Show Greater China Festival.

On Nov. 2, students from the College of Communication Arts and Sciences – myself included – boarded a flight to Shanghai, China to represent Michigan State University at the annual One Show Greater China Festival.

As a journalism student, I am in the minority among the larger group of advertising students selected to compete in China. Most of them were on the winning teams of the second Minds (Wide) Open competition that took place at ComArtSci in September – a similar event to what they will experience in China but without the home court advantage.

While they’re exercising their creative geniuses and coming up with an idea that will bring an award to East Lansing, I will be working with a second journalism student and a videographer to document the experience and share with everyone back at home.

The One Show Greater China Festival brings together hundreds of students from all over China to collaborate and create a unique advertising campaign in pursuit of the ultimate prize: the Golden Pencil, which is described essentially as a job offer in China. In past years, Michigan State University has been the only non-Chinese participating university. On both of the occasions that MSU has competed, at least one team has brought home a prize – Silver and Bronze Pencils.

We arrived in Shanghai on Nov. 3, but the competition started Nov. 4.

On the first day, all of the students participating in the competition were divided into groups and given their brief. In past years, they have worked on companies like Microsoft and BMW. From that point, they will work with their teams and a professional mentor to come up with an idea and bring it to life. Only a few teams move on to the final judging.

This year will be different than the last two trips because rather than merging the students with teams of Chinese students, there will be two MSU-only teams. Everyone seems really interested to see how this change will translate to the teams’ success in the competition. Spartans Will, right?